Jesus vs The Authorities
Today, Pastor Michael is in the heart of a quiet forest with a cold stream meandering through, and two soldiers in shining armor move forward to a figure, standing in plain wool clothing and a wicker basket with large fish in it. The man is whistling as he’s swinging a bamboo pole, and he’s fishing in the ROYAL POND! He’s trespassing on the King’s land. The man, however, is not frightened at all. In fact, he encourages the soldiers to...
Jesus vs The Authorities
Today, Pastor Michael is in the heart of a quiet forest with a cold stream meandering through, and two soldiers in shining armor move forward to a figure, standing in plain wool clothing and a wicker basket with large fish in it. The man is whistling as he’s swinging a bamboo pole, and he’s fishing in the ROYAL POND! He’s trespassing on the King’s land. The man, however, is not frightened at all. In fact, he encourages the soldiers to join him in fishing. Soon, one of the soldiers poked the man with a spear, and the guard just got madder and madder.
The man asks the soldier, “Who do you think I am?”. This man who was fishing in the King’s stream is the King himself! Indeed, the guards did join the King and filled the basket promptly. They learned that true authority isn’t about power; it’s about compassion.
In another story, with another King, folks confronted him as a trespasser. This story takes place a few days before the crucifixion. Officials questioned Jesus’ authority. The Sanhedrin were the formal spiritual and political leaders of Israel at the time (the true authorities). They questioned Jesus by what authority he was doing things.
The things he did yesterday… running people out of the temple, chasing animals out….this was the Sanhedrin’s area to control, but they let thieves take over the temple. So here, the Sanhedrin questioned Jesus’ authority, and He questioned theirs!
Jesus asked the Sanhedrin if the baptism of John was from heaven or from men. Jesus was asking something completely legit to the Sanhedrin; it was their role to explain all things spiritual.
They reasoned amongst themselves, realizing this was a trick question, so they answered, “We do not know,” so Jesus replied, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.”
This tells us that the authorities are more concerned with keeping their power than the truth.
True authority isn’t about setting yourself up (for your benefit); it’s about setting others free.
Mark 11:27-33 (CSB Study Bible Notes) 11:27 The chief priests, the scribes, and the elders made up the Sanhedrin, the seventy-member governing body of the Jews. These were representatives, not the whole body. In his first death prediction, Jesus named these groups as those who would put him to death (see note at 8:31). 11:28 The questions focused on the nature (by what) of Jesus’s authority (Gk exousia) and on who gave it to him. Jesus’s authority had been at issue since the beginning (1:22,27; 2:10). These things probably refers to his temple clearing and his royal entry into the city. 11:29-30 John’s baptism encapsulates John the Baptist’s entire ministry. From heaven means “from God.” Jesus’s question turned the tables on the Pharisees. If they admitted that John was sent by God, they would have to admit the same about Jesus. 11:31-33 A genuine prophet has authority from heaven. If John was a prophet from God, Jesus was even more so. Unwilling to admit this, the authorities refused to answer Jesus.
Verses can be found in Mark 11: 27-33
Scripture quotations marked CSB have been taken from the Christian Standard Bible®, Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible® and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers.
